BQ 28 (Summer 2009)

Vol. 7, No. 4

Jack Taylor Special

Mark Lawrence, long-time friend of the Taylor Brothers, did extensive interviews with Ken, Jack and Peggy Taylor. Over 28 pages, the Taylors recount how Jack started the company before the war, and how the brothers joined after the war when they lost their jobs because they spent too much time racing bikes. The Taylors were banned from their cycling clubs for riding in “outlaw” massed-start races rather than the customary time trials. They talk of building their factory themselves, brick by brick, and of chance encounters that led to many of their bikes being exported to the United States. They were surprised when visitors from all over the world showed up at their factory, often camping in the yard. The Taylors talk about their design philosophies, and how they were influenced by the French constructeurs. Ken Taylor even sheds light on Daniel Rebour’s technique and explains why Rebour’s original drawings always were made on photo paper.

Evocative, previously unpublished photos show the Taylors racing in the 1940s and 1950s, including the first-ever Tour of Britain, as well as the factory. To complete the Taylor story, we report on riding a 400 km brevet on a 1983 Jack Taylor tandem.

This issue also takes our research into “planing” one step further, with power measurements of the various bikes. As expected, the best bikes are not more efficient in transmitting the power, but they allow the riders to put out more power, hence their higher speed.

We test a lovely Toei Randonneur and the innovative Tout Terrain Silkroad, and we talk about selecting a builder for your custom bike, and warn against trying to convince your builder to make a bike that they have never built before.